Various devices have been provided heretofore which employ sails for changing the speed and, in some cases, the direction of a skier on a downhill run. Some of these devices, such as that of U.S. Pat. No. 2,213,754, employ loose sails attached to the skier; and others, such as that of Austrian Pat. No. 169,440, employ rigid poles or spars to hold and spread the sail. Some use the sail solely as a brake, while others use the sail for lifting the skier and facilitating long jumps. While these devices have been suitable for some applications, they do not provide the desired characteristics for effecting a high degree of control by the skier during downhill runs. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved aerodynamic braking device for effecting a high degree of control by a skier during a downhill run.
It is another object to provide an improved aerodynamic braking device for downhill skiing which does not interfere with or limit the use of the skier's legs in normal skiing maneuvers.
It is another object of this invention to provide an aerodynamic braking device for downhill skiing including an improved arrangement for applying the entire force of the device above the waist of the skier without restricting the movement of the skier's legs.
It is another object of this invention to provide an improved aerodynamic brake for skiing which may be adjusted readily for use in a wide range of positions.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an aerodynamic brake for downhill skiing, including an improved arrangement for minimizing the torque applied to the hands of the skier.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, and the features of novelty which characterize the invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.